Meet some of the outstanding authors who call the Sunshine State home.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

David Edmonds - Writing What He Knows

David Edmonds has had enough fascinating experiences to
fill several lifetimes. This Tarpon Springs writer’s life has taken him from a
historic Civil War homestead in Louisiana to a remote Indian village in Peru to
war-torn Nicaragua and many other exotic stops along the way. He is a former marine,
Peace Corps volunteer, senior Fulbright professor, academic dean and U.S. government
official. As an author whose life reads like fiction, Edmonds can keep readers
spellbound by writing what he knows.

Edmonds grew up in Louisiana and earned a Bachelor’s degree
in Economics and Spanish and a Master’s degree in Economics from Louisiana
State University. He studied at Notre Dame, Georgetown and George Washington
University and earned a Ph.D. in International Economics from American
University. His assignments with the US Government took him to Latin America
during the turbulent 80s and 90s. There he experienced cultures where assassinations,
terrorism, torture and kidnapping were commonplace. This would eventually
provide fodder for his fiction.

“I’ve been a writer most of my adult life,” Edmonds says. “Even
though I majored in Economics, I took creative writing courses everywhere.”

But it was returning to his home in Louisiana that kick-started
his literary career. “My family home was used as a hospital during the Civil
War, so I decided to do some research and write about it. What started as an
article became a 600 page non-fiction book titled Yankee Autumn in Acadiana which won a literary award from the Louisiana Library Association.

Edmonds followed this with four more history books and a
couple of ghost-written books, but it was a chance encounter in a tiny Chilean
village that led to his first novel.“I was in the Peace Corps stationed in a miserable little
Indian village,” he recalls. “The weather was bad, and I was sick much of the
time. While I was recuperating in a hospital, I met this beautiful, classy
Peruvian exchange student. After I returned to my village, I got the idea of
writing a romance.” This was the genesis of his first novel, Lily of Peru, which wouldn’t be completed for another 20 years.

During those years, Edmonds often wondered about the woman’s
fate. “I tried to get in touch with her a few times and often fantasized about
linking up with her. Then I met my lovely wife, Maria, and lost all interest in
her.” He didn’t, however, lose interest in his novel. Published in
2015, Lily of Peru garnered four awards, including a prestigious Royal Palm Literary
Award of the Florida Writers Association, a Readers' Favorite Award, and an
International Latino Book Award. Lily of Peru tells the story of USF Professor Mark Thorsen who travels to war-torn Peru to
meet with Marisa, an old love from his Peace Corps days. When he discovers that
Marisa is connected with Shining Path, a terrorist organization, he sets out to
learn the truth while defending himself against government agents, anarchists,
soldiers and hostile jungle tribes in an adventure that will keep readers on
the edge of their seats.

His second thriller, which was just published by Peace Corps
Writers, is titled The Girl of the Glyphs (co-written with his wife). “When I
was in Nicaragua, I worked with former Sandinista soldiers,” Edmonds says. "One of
them hid in a cave during the war between contras and Sandinistas. The cave had once been a Mayan jade mine and
its walls were covered with mysterious symbols. He asked for my help in finding
it, and thus began an arduous journey. My wife suggested I write a book about
it.”

In the novel, a young woman from the Smithsonian hears of a
cave containing writings about a mysterious holy man. She finds herself chased
by a group of tomb looters who think the cave contains a lost treasure. Edmonds
has also written a prequel to The Girl from the Glyphs. Set in the 1740s, The Heretic of Granada tells of a priest who escapes the Inquisition and
takes up with pirates to get revenge on his enemies.

It is the element of realism that makes Edmonds’s books particularly
compelling. “All my stories are based on personal experiences that have been
fictionalized,” he says. “One of the things I love about writing is re-living
an experience through my protagonist, embellishing it and having it turn out
the way I wanted it.” He hopes his books will give readers a window into life
in South and Central America and the Caribbean. “We complain about the United
States,” he says, “but we’re lucky we don’t have to go through the things they
do.” Thanks to Edmonds, readers can live the experience from the safety of
their armchairs.

For more information, go to www.dedmonds.com or David's
author page on amazon.com.

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About Me

I'm currently a columnist for The Island Reporter, a publication serving the South Gulf Beaches in St. Petersburg, Florida. My Florida Authors series features articles based on exclusive interviews with some of the state’s best writers. My “Pride & Joy” column
profiles individuals who give back to their communities through volunteerism.
I'm also the author of two novels."Project June Bug" is the story of a young teacher’s efforts to help a student with ADHD. It has received 12 awards, including Premier Book Awards “2009 Book of the Year.” My latest novel, "Jacqueline,"(published by Anaiah Press) is a middle grade historical based on an experience my dad, a WWII veteran, had while stationed in France shortly after D-day. Four of my stories have appeared in "Chicken Soup for the Soul" editions.
I live on Treasure Island (yes, it's as beautiful as it sounds), with my husband and two rather noisy macaws. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, walking on the beach, and visiting family in New Jersey, where I'm the proud "Grammy" of six beautiful grandchildren (with the pictures to prove it!)